1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to an ink cartridge used in a printing apparatus using an ink jet device. More particularly, the present invention relates to preventing an ink cartridge from being used more than a predetermined utility life.
2. Background Art
Typically, a printing apparatus using an ink jet device, such as an ink jet printer and a facsimile system, pixel-divides characters to be printed. The printing is done with a dot matrix to electrify ink particles with voltage in proportion to position information of each pixel. Then, the apparatus makes electrified ink particles reach a paper through an electrostatic deflection, thereby printing pixel characters. This printer apparatus can include a carriage which is supported on a main frame to be guided right and left, a head which is attached to the carriage to move together with the carriage and has a nozzle thereon used for jetting ink in a uniform form, and a cleaner for cleaning the head according to a cleaning signal of a constant period upon a printing. On this matter, exemplars of the contemporary practice include Sakuma (U.S. Pat. No. 5,565,898, Ink Ejecting Printer Having Different Cleaning Timings, Oct. 15, 1996) discusses an ink ejecting printer capable of increasing a printing speed by eliminating unnecessary head maintenance operations. The printer includes a mode controller, a ROM, timing value storage, a wiping ordering unit and a suction ordering unit. Kaneko (U.S. Pat. No. 5,561,448, Ink Jet Recording Apparatus For Recovering Recording Head, Oct. 1, 1996) discusses an ink jet recording apparatus which records by discharging ink onto a recording medium. The apparatus includes a recording head for recording on the recording medium by discharging in through discharge ports. Carlotta (U.S. Pat. No. 5,432,538, Valve For An Ink Jet Printer Maintenance System, Jul. 11, 1995) discusses a valve for use in a maintenance station for an ink jet printer. The maintenance station has a carriage on which a cap that selectively seals the printhead nozzle. Accatino et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,452, Recognition Of Ink Expiry In An Ink Jet Printing Head, May 9, 1995) discusses ink jet printers in which the printing head is connected to an ink reservoir, such as can be used in teleprinter or facsimile apparatuses. This permits to foresee the expiry of the ink in the reservoir in order to be able in due time to replace the printing head or the pertinent cartridge. Cowger et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,409,134, Pressure-Sensitive Accumulator For Ink-Jet Pens, Apr. 25, 1995) discusses an accumulator which regulates changes in the back pressure of an ink-jet pen reservoir so that ink does not leak from the pen print head and so that the print head is able to completely empty the reservoir of ink. Fong et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,300, Method And Apparatus For Replenishing An Ink Cartridge, Jan. 18, 1994) discusses a method and apparatus for refilling collapsible ink bags which are maintained at sub-atmospheric pressure within such equipment. Saikawa et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,280,299, Ink Filling Method For Ink Jet Recording Apparatus, Jan. 18, 1994) discusses an ink jet head cartridge includes an ink container and a porous material for retaining the ink.
In particular, one must be concerned that if the ink cartridge is used more than the life thereof, the head has already been in the damaged state, and the printing is performed in this state, a bad image is printed. From my study of the above mentioned exemplars of the contemporary practice and the art, I find that there is a need for an effective device and method for preventing ink in the ink jet cartridge from being supplemented more than a predetermined number of times.